Cigarette case



Dec. 23, 1941. R. E. LOWRY CIGARETTE CASE Filed April 26, 1941 IINVENTOR. A7077? :5". A OW/Py, BY 03 J33 Array/w Patented Dec. 23, 1941Ta has PATENT OFFICE "2367,40? o IGAnErr'rn CASE iinitifnii dwryirortWashin ton, n. r. ."A pplicatiomApril' 26, 194.1, Serial No. 390,515(elites-4 1) cola'ims.

' This invention relates to 1 cigarette cases, and in particular to acigarette case that is capable 'offholding cigarettes' of' 'twod'ifierent' lengths, V

[The conventional fiat cigarettecases ofthe past were' adaptable "-forholding cigarettes of the standardf'size having retaining mea'nsto holdthe cigarettes when placedparallel to each other in the case' The sizeof'the case corresponde'd'to theflength of standard size cigarettes andsuch cases could n'ot "be used to 7 hold "the --s -ca1led King sizecigarettes which have recently come on the market and which are aboutone-third longer than the ordinary cigarette.

"My invention comprises broadly a cigarette case that is adaptableforholding cigarettes in either a longitudinal or transverse position, thatis to sa the cigarettes whenplaced side 'by side may be aligned"in aneast-west direction in 'the case 'or in a ncrth south' direction. This'is accomplished by incorporating ina "single case retaining meansthatwill retain cigarettes placed either lengthwise or crosswise therein."The'cigarette holding compartment is of such "a size that itcorresponds approximately inlength tothe' length of cigarettes to becontainedthereinfand its width L also corresponds to the le'ngth ofsuchcigarettes so that if it'is to beused for'holding cigarettes of a singlelength ine'ither a longitudinal or transverseposition; the compartmentis square in shape. I 1

If the case is tobe adaptable for holdi'ng cigarettes oftwodiiferentlengths such as King size and standardsize cigarettes, thecigarette holding compartmentofthe' case is of such a size that itaccdnirhbdatesasuitable num berof King size cigarettes "when placedlengthwisein the compartment, or alternatively suitable for holding aplurality of standard siz'ecig'arettes parallel to one another whenplaced crosswise therein, that is t'o say, the'leng'th of thecompartment corresponds to the length ofthe"KingsiZe cigarettes and theWidth corresponds'to the length of "the's tandard size cigarettes;

In a preferred mddification, the case is jcapable of holding either and/or both standard and King size cigarettes-indie same'case. This is thetype in which two cig arette compartments are hinged together so that wen closed the cigarettes'are entirely enclosedand protected, and whenopen the cigarettes are available for'withdrawal. .King size cigarettescan be held in one compartment runningin alongitudinal direction and thestandard "size cigarettes, running in a transverse position, "can beplaced in the other.

When thBTGaSG'iS closeditxis obvious thatthe two size cigarettes arearranged crosswiseto each other. This is of material advantage and isalso possible in a dual square case adaptable for holding only a singlelength cigarette described above, for when the case is full, thecigarettes are less likely to be crushed than in the conventional typeWhere the cigarettes run in the same direction. This is especially truewhen the exterior of the case is made of some yieldable material such asfabric or leatherwhich is susceptible to pressureor jars from theoutside tendingtofcrush'the cigarettes, since the crisscross position ofthe-cigarettes contained therein is rigid and capable of withstandingsuch treatinent. g V

My'invention is not limited to any particular stynor flat cigarettecase, nor to the, materials of construction. Thus, for example, theexterior mayibe oflleatheniabric, enamelled metal, molded'resinousmaterial, light weight wood, or similar .material, and any suitablecovering means rnaybejprovide'd such as hinged type covers, slide,roll-back covers, 'andthelike. The particular structural details, whileforming an integral part of the invention, are not critical and. this isan important advantage since in the fabrication of theprcducts 0ftheipresent invention it is not necessary to make extensive alterationsto cigarette cases now being .manufactured, but the standard patternsand forms of cases can in most instances be used. 1

g The invention will be further described in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is an open planview of a cigarettecase holding long or King size cigarettes; ;Fig. ,2 is'an open plan viewof the same case "shown in-Fig. 1 but holding standard'size cigarettes;

Fig. 3 is across section of the case shown in Fig. 1 taken alongthe line3'-3' but differs in that the case is closed;

means positioned on the lid to hold the lid when the case is closed.

The casein Figs. 1 and 2 is shown as employing a resilient material suchas an elastic band stretched diagonally across the case to hold thecigarettes either longitudinally as shown in Fig. 1 or transversely asshown in Fig. 2. This represents a preferred modification of retainingthe cigarettes because although the band is secured at both ends, it issufficiently flexible so that the cigarettes may be inserted beneath itand extracted for use without danger of bending or otherwise damagingthe cigarettes.

Instead of an elastic band which is yieldable at all points, thediagonal band may be of a nonresilient material itself, but attached toeach corner by means of a spring which renders it extensible.

A second modification shown in Fig. illustrates a cigarette casecomprising a receptacle la for holding cigarettes and a lid or cover 2ahinged together at 3a. A metal band 4a extends diagonally across thecigarette receptacle la between diagonally opposite corners, beinghinged to one of said corners by means of a spring actuated hinge. Aspring latch 7a coacts with a fastening means positioned on the lid tohold the lid when the case is closed. In this modification the cigaretteretaining means 4a hinged at one of the diagonal corners by means of aspring actuated hinge is normally held in a position overlying andcontacting all the cigarettes in the receptacle regardless of whetherthey are in a crosswise or lengthwise position. The spring actuatedhinge also permits the retaining member 4a to be raised in a verticaldirection when it is desired to remove cigarettes from the receptacleand said spring should be sufiiciently strong to hold the cigarettes inplace when the retaining member is in its normally horizontal position.It is of course immaterial to which corner the metal band is hinged aslong as it extends in -a substantially diagonal direction across thecase so that a part thereof overlies each cigarette in the case. I

A further modification illustrated in Fig. 6 comprises a cigarette casehaving a receptacle lb for holding cigarettes and a lid or cover 2bhinged together at 3b. A spring latch 11) coacts with fastening meanspositioned on the lid to hold the lid when the case is closed. Thecigarette retaining means in this modification comprises two metal ornonresilient members 417, one of which is hinged preferably by a springmeans at one corner of the receptacle lb and extends in a diagonaldirection across the case about half the distance to the oppositecorner. The second member is similarly hinged at the opposite diagonalcorner and extends in the same general direction a sufiicient distanceto substantially meet the first described retaining member whereby thetwo members traverse the diagonal distance of the case. In thismodification either of the bands may be raised independently of theother band to remove cigarettes from one half of the receptacle, thecigarettes in the other half being securely held by the other member.

The manner of attaching the retaining means illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6to the diagonal corner or corners is not broadly limited to the use ofthe spring actuated member shown, permitting vertical movement of theretaining means, and any other suitable fastening means may be employed.For example, the member may be made of a material capable of beingflexed such as a steel band or flat spring rigidly fastened to thediagonal corner or corners and which retaining member can be raisedvertically because of the flexibility of the material employed, butwhich will resume its normal position overlying and contacting thecigarettes when the upward force is released.

The diagonal retaining member or band may be made of a material flexibleat all points, so that it can be raised a sufiicient distance to permitthe withdrawal of one cigarette at a time, the remainder of thecigarettes underlying the non-flexed portion being securely held in thereceptacle. In other words, the fulcrum instead of being localized atonly one end point at the corner of the receptacle, is a series ofpoints along the band, and thus even when the retaining means isdisplaced for removing a cigarette, the remaining cigarettes are heldfirmly in place and there is less tendency toward spilling.

Similarly the retaining member or members of Figs. 5 and 6 may bepivotally connected to the diagonal corner or corners in such a mannerthat the retaining member or members may be moved in a horizontaldirection to facilitate the withdrawal of cigarettes. The diagonalretaining member or bands pivotally connected to the diagonal corner orcorners overlies and contacts all the cigarettes in the compartment inessentially the same manner as those specifically illustrated and at thesame time possesses at least one advantageous operating feature. Forexample when the retaining member 4a of Fig. 5 is pivotally connected tothe corner, the band can be moved horizontally to the left far enough topermit removal of one cigarette and the remaining cigarettes will stillbe held in position. This operation may be repeated until all thecigarettes have been removed. When the cigarettes lie in the oppositedirection the retaining member can be moved horizontally to the rightand the same result achieved.

Any of the cigarette cases described and shown in the drawing can be ofthe dual container type, that is, instead of a single container with alid, two cigarette holding compartments are hinged together so that whenclosed the cigarettes are completely protected and when opened flat,cigarettes are available on both sides. This dual type is capable ofholding a larger quantity than the single type, and moreover, when usedin conjunction with the present invention, one side may be used forholding King size cigarettes and standard size cigarettes may be placedin the other. Although this dual type is not illustrated in the drawing,it should be understood that the invention broadly includes suchdual-container cases and is not limited to the exact details as setforth above.

The invention also includes dual cases in which one receptacle isadaptable for holding cigarettes in accordance with the presentinvention and in which the other receptacle is suitable for holdingother articles such as for example cosmetics, coins, keys, or othersmall articles.

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my copendingapplication Serial No. 335,684, filed May 17, 1940.

What I claim is:

1. A cigarette case adaptable for holding cigarettes which comprises acase having at least one compartment capable of holding cigarettes whenplaced in either a longitudinal or transverse position, said compartmenthaving linear means for retaining the cigarettes in place, said meansextending diagonally from one corner of said compartment to the oppositediagonal corner and being secured to at least one of the corners,whereby said retaining means may serve to hold cigarettes in placewhether the cigarettes are disposed longitudinally with respect to thecase or transversely thereof.

2. A cigarette case adaptable for holding cigarettes of differentlengths which comprises a case having at least one compartment capableof holding cigarettes of one length transversely or cigarettes of agreater length longitudinally, said compartment having linear means forretaining the cigarettes in place, said means extending diagonally fromone corner of said compartment to-the opposite diagonal corner and beingsecured to at least one of the corners, whereby said retaining means mayserve to hold cigarettes in place whether the cigarettes are disposedlongitudinally with respect to the case or transversely thereof.

3. A cigarette case adaptable for holding cigarettes of differentlengths which comprises a case having two hinged members, at least oneof said members being a compartment capable of holding ciragettes of onelength transversely or cigarettes of a greater length longitudinally,said compartment having a retaining strap extending diagonally from onecorner of said compartment to the other for retaining the cigaretteswhen in either longitudinal or transverse position.

4. A cigarette case according to claim 3 in which the cigaretteretaining means is an extensible band.

5. A cigarette case adaptable for holding cigarettes of differentlengths which comprises a case having two hinged members, at least oneof said members being a compartment capable of holding cigarettes of onelength transversely or cigarettes of a greater length longitudinally, aone-piece linear retainer for holding the cigarettes in place, saidretainer being hingedly secured to the cigarette compartment at onecorner thereof and extending diagonally across the case to a point nearthe opposite diagonal corner of the cigarette compartment, whereby saidretainer may serve to hold cigarettes in place whether such cigarettesare disposed longitudinally with respect to the case or transverselythereof.

6. A cigarette case adaptable for holding cigarettes of difierentlengths which comprises a case having two hinged members, at least oneof said members being a compartment capable of holding cigarettes of onelength transversely or cigarettes of a greater length longitudinally,retaining means for holding the cigarettes in place comprising twolinear members, one being hingedly secured to the cigarette compartmentat one corner thereof and extending diagonally across the case abouthalf the distance to the opposite corner, the other linear member beinghingedly secured to the cigarette compartment at the opposite diagonalcorner and extending diagonally in the same general direction asufficient distance so that the two members coact to substantiallytraverse the diagonal distance of the case and may serve to holdcigarettes in place whether the cigarettes are disposed longitudinallywith respect to the case or transversely thereof.

RUTH E. LCWRY.

